The senseless and horrific death of Hope

The aim was to document what was happening on the ground – there have been so many reports of poaching and seized ivory, in and through the country and at the airport – so when we arrived in March we immediately headed north to Samburu National Reserve, home to Save The Elephants (STE) study site, because the area had been identified as a poaching hotspot. If you head just a little further north then you’re in real bandit territory, scene of the recent kidnapping of a British tourist.

Three weeks earlier, two matriarchs from one of the STE study groups (the Virtues) had been shot: Enthusiasm and Resilience. Enthusiasm died relatively quickly but Resilience, true to her name, managed to get back to the sanctuary of the reserve, despite having been shot twice. She survived for a couple of weeks before she had to be put out of her misery. All of this was documented and the distressing scenes can be viewed in the documentary.

People sometimes ask me how I can do my job. Actually, I don’t know how the folk at STE do theirs. EIA’s work is in many ways at one remove from the grim reality of poaching because we are focusing on the trade; so it’s rare for us to be present at the immediate aftermath of a poaching incident. These guys get to know the elephants intimately: their families, their characters and intrinsic value to their close family groups and environment. The loss of each elephant is a personal one.

A lone elephant mourns over the remains of Resilience (C) EIA

On arrival at STE HQ, and after a very warm welcome from Iain Douglas Hamilton and his right-hand man David Daballen, we departed immediately to view the remains of Resilience. We were not alone. Another elephant from a different family group was also there, paying her last respects in a poignant and touching tribute. How privileged we were to witness such a moment.

But it was getting dark, so we headed back to camp. No sooner had we returned, just before 7pm, than the following sequence of events unfolded:

• Radio alert 1: An informant in a nearby village (close to the newly constructed road to Isiolo, gateway to the north and last chance saloon before the wild west that is Samburu) calls to report shots fired and elephant alarm calls. We need to get Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) to the scene ASAP – that shouldn’t be too difficult as its base is only a couple of kilometres from the village, a 10-minute drive away;

• David, from STE, gets on the radio to alert everyone;

• Radio alert 2: The informant calls in again, about 10 minutes later, to reiterate the urgency. There have been more shots. More frantic radio calls are made;

• Radio alert 3: It’s the informant again; this time he can “hear them – on the elephant”, hacking off the tusks with machetes.

The whole thing is too hideous. It’s too dark to go back to the village, especially if there are poachers with firearms, so we agree to regroup first thing in the morning to go and see what we already know has transpired. There was nothing we could do anyway.

We were a very subdued team that night, although I think it’s fair to say that the film crew were getting way more than they ever could have dreamt of, so were quietly congratulating their good fortune at being on the spot with the whole poaching story unfolding and documented in less than 24 hours. I don’t know how film and photo journalists do their jobs either; maybe looking through the eye of the camera provides immunity from the misery staring them in the face.

I don’t know about anyone else, but I didn’t sleep much that night.

We arrived at the carcass of Hope early the next morning. Another matriarch and member of the Virtues, her two calves were nowhere to be seen.

The brutally mutilated remains of Hope (C) EIA

I’ve seen many dead elephants, but never one so recently poached and dispatched. Her face had been hacked off; the tusks whisked away to some nearby vehicle that would transport them to the middle man and then out to the waiting buyers in the Far East. All so easy, all so pointless.

We traced Hope’s last steps and pieced together her final terrifying moments as she had tried to dodge the spray of bullets, escape the poachers and protect her calves. She managed two out of three.

The entire ordeal probably lasted about 20 minutes and somewhere, probably not too far away, were two very frightened and disoriented young elephants. The search was on to find them. Combining all our resources, EIA, the film crew and STE deployed ground and air searches to find them. Bundu bashing (travelling through rough terrain) had never taken on such urgency. It was close to midday and hot as Hades and after what felt like many hours (in truth it was probably only an hour of concerted searching) we located what was left of the Virtues – minus Enthusiasm, Resilience and now Hope – five young elephants. That’s it.

And where was KWS in all this? Well, reports vary, but as far as we know they apparently showed up at around 10pm, three hours after the fact. Even the community Game Guards who had to get there on foot managed to reach the scene by about 8pm. I’m sure there is some explanation, but it certainly strikes me as very odd. And extremely disappointing.

In the meantime, the carnage continues all across Africa. Based on the information we have in our database for this year – and that is by no means complete – since January 1, 2011 (worldwide):

• 11,493kg of ivory have been seized; representing at least 1,149 elephants (based on an average of 10kg per animal);

• also seized were 1,307 pieces of ivory (worked ivory including statues, chopsticks, “pieces of ivory” with no further description, etc), with no way of knowing what that represents and no weight recorded.

This doesn’t include any of the ivory we know about that went through undetected – nor any of the shipments we don’t know about. So, not counting the ‘pieces’, that’s at least 3,148 dead animals.

If that represents 20 per cent of what goes through undetected – although customs will always say they reckon to stop about 10 per cent, but let’s be conservative – that means … well, you work it out.

Your post has just reduced me to tears…this is just so sad, to murder and slaughter these magnificent animals is absolutely beyond me – I just don’t understand the point. Money is the source of all evil on our planet.

Thank you for making this known and for putting it in the public domain…we need more people like you.

Hope and Resilience are in a better place…it’s sad that their footprints will no longer make a mark along Africa’s plains.

eia

Hello Keighley-Ann

Thank-you for your thoughtful comment – the criminal slaughter and exploitation of wildlife is abhorrent, which is why we work so hard to expose and combat it wherever possible.

As you’re probably aware, we’re a very small organisation with limited resources but, with the support of people like you, we can and do make a big impact against environmental crime.

The death of Hope features in the new Nat Geo Wild documentary Blood Ivory; at present it’s only being screened in the USA but is due to be shown around the world later this year.

Well, to be honest…I would like to get more hands on and work on conservation initiatives. I’m from South Africa and currently live in Cape Town but if there are any plans or initiatives where you need help from the public in conservation initiatives…whether it be from a PR and communications point of view to social media and strategic help to actual field assistance, please let me know because it’s something I’m extremely passionate about.

I take my hat off to everyone who helps in the protection and conservation of our wildlife.

Cally

I couldn’t read the article as i know how saddened i would be. Thank you to all who try and stop senseless killings like this and try desperately to protect the precious creatures we are so lucky to share the planet with.

http://Nil Samuel Ngosi

Iam curious to learn on how the calves orphaned are faring. I as a parent can imagine that if I were killed like Hope was my orphaned children would wish to avenge the brutarity that the criminals did to my parents and sister/brother. They would when they grow up source firearms or any other weapon to help them confront their eneymy. But they they feel they can’t . In my view we are the ones that should put ourselves in their shoes. We can gather the firearms and fight our enemy . The fighting can be direct or indirect. Let the public know by all means on how poachers kill mother elephants and the life their calves left behind because they have no tasks lead . Let the poachers know of their evil action by our firearms or another form of justice. Let the receivers know through criminal justice. Thanks Mary Rice for the touching story. I wish I could help save the elephants I love so much.

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If you're in London, keep an eye out for a tiger-inspired art exhibition at Cafe Royal in September! ... See MoreSee Less

Brilliant artist JACKY TSAI has been #tigerinspired and generously donated a limited edition print of his stunning “FLYING TIGER 1943” to Save Wild Tigers for our upcoming BE INSPIRED exhibition at the Café Royal in September!
Jacky, a leading Chinese pop artist, is passionate about the cause. He said: "Art has a magic power to inspire and connect people. As a London based Chinese Artist, I feel hugely responsible to be part of this campaign and send this important message to the global citizen, especially my fellow Chinese, that we potentially only have a decade to prevent the wild tiger from extinction."
Jacky Tsai brings an original style and inventive approach to traditional materials and craftsmanship, clashing Eastern and Western cultural references in the process. The artist is known for his iconic floral skull creation that was used by fashion designer Alexander McQueen. Tsai works across various media, including sculpture, installation, and fashion. He has exhibited internationally in London, New York, Singapore, and Hong Kong, and is represented by the prestigious Fine Art Society in the UK.
For more information visit www.jackytsai.com or www.savewildtigers.org

Walter Palmer, the wealthy big-game hunter who killed a famous lion, could be headed back to Africa — if the Zimbabwe government has its way.

On Friday, officials in Zimbabwe said they intended to press ahead with a request to extradite Palmer for killing a lion known as Cecil just outside a sanctuary where the animal was protected. Later, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced that it had finally contacted Palmer, a dentist who had shuttered his practice in Minnesota a few days ago and disappeared.

The Fish and Wildlife agency’s law enforcement office said that a representative for Palmer “voluntarily reached out to the service” Thursday afternoon and that its “investigation is ongoing.”

The investigation could lead to charges under U.S. law. If Palmer is charged with similar offenses by Zimbabwe, that would clear the way for him to be extradited to that country under a treaty Zimbabwe entered into with the United States in July 1997. It calls for persons of interest to be extradited between the two countries in cases that include a conspiracy or attempt to commit a crime, aiding and abetting a crime, or being an accessory.

The extradition process cannot begin until Zimbabwe officially issues a charge and requests Palmer’s return. Oppah Muchinguri, the nation’s minister of the environment and climate, vowed to press charges in a Friday news conference in the capital, Harare.

“I have already consulted with the authorities within the police force who are responsible for arresting the criminal. We have certain processes we have to follow,” Muchinguri said, according to the Associated Press. “. . . The processes have already started.”

Legal experts said Palmer wouldn’t have a lot of options to fight a return to Zimbabwe to face trial. “Once Zimbabwe provides a charge, it depends on how fast the U.S. moves,” said Stephen Vladeck, an American University law professor who specializes in international affairs.

Save the Tiger Posted on July 30, 2015 by Ben Westwood Last week Murray passed me a photo & a press sheet from a save the tiger campaign Vivienne was involved with 15 years ago with the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA). He thought that I might do an update on the tiger situation to see if th…